Nursing Doctoral Student Wins National Award

Meagan White, a doctoral candidate in
Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Nursing PhD
program, was recently named a winner of the national Jonas Scholar award by the
National League for Nursing.

White, a native of Erie who currently
lives in Washington, D.C. is one of seven nursing students from across the
country to receive the scholarship. She was honored at a banquet in San Diego
on September 16, 2017, at the annual NLN Education Summit.

The Jonas Scholars are selected by
faculty in selected schools of nursing with a focus on nursing education
research. Scholars are mentored by members of the NLN Chamberlain Center for the Advancement of the
Science of Nursing Education and receivefinancial support for
the scholars’ research through the final year of doctoral study, as well as
travel expenses to meetings with mentors at the NLN Education Summit, according
to the organization.

The scholarship is a cash award White
can use to cover her expenses as she completes dissertation requirements for her
doctoral degree at IUP. She expects to graduate with her PhD next summer.

White was nominated for the award by
IUP Distinguished Professor Teresa Shellenbarger.

“Meagan was nominated because her
past scholarly work and outstanding academic performance distinguished her as
an emerging nurse-scholar and expert in nursing pedagogy,” Shellenbarger said.
“She is prepared to conduct advanced nursing research, and her research on
information literacy and nursing will help to ensure that future nurses are
adequately prepared to meet the health care needs of patients.”

White has held a full-time job in the
nursing certification and education field while
enrolled in IUP’s Nursing PhD program, a
unique cohort-based hybrid program that draws from surrounding states as
students complete both online coursework and meet with faculty in person twice
a semester to enhance their studies.

White previously spent four years
teaching in her specialty, which helped her decide to pursue her PhD. She has found that IUP’s program fits her
needs as a working professional.

“I have long felt that we have an
outstanding program,” she said. “I feel that way from conversations I’ve had
with students in other programs because they don’t have the level of faculty
support that our whole cohort receives.”

“Her selection for this award recognizes
the IUP PhD Nursing program as a quality program that prepares nurse scholars
ready to advance the science of nursing education and assume leadership positions
in nursing education,” Shellenbarger said.

White’s goal after she receives her PhD is to continue teaching, but also to do more
research and to publish her findings for others to use to their benefit. White also
plans to publish her dissertation findings and conduct further research studies
that advance teaching and learning in nursing.

“In the past year and a
half during my studies, I’ve published in nursing journals,” she said. “That
was a goal of mine, to use some of my faculty’s expertise and mentoring to help
me grow. Each of those publications was a direct result of coursework at IUP or
writing with a faculty member of IUP, so I want to continue down that road and
get more presentations and publications under my belt. It’s been a great
experience. Our program and faculty have helped me immensely.”